County Record: Digital Edition

Penny Record: Digital Edition

Happy Birthday Ann

We evacuated her to Hospice Hospital in Tyler, Texas, for Hurricane Gustav. She passed away there.

Ann was known at “The Little Princess” bow lady. Her daughter, Sabrina Braneff is carrying on her business.

Ann was diagnosed with metastasized colon cancer, stage 4, in 2005. She had three months to live with chemotherapy. She lived to see three and a half years after diagnoses. She lived to see Sabrina’s two sons, Logan and Zack. Sabrina had another son, Blake in December 2008. Ann’s oldest son, Kenny and his wife, Melinda, had a little girl, Reagan, that Ann got to enjoy. Later, in November, they had a little boy, Colin. Ann knew what the last two babies were going to be and was hoping to live to see them.

Ann was a devoted and loyal wife to her husband, Kenneth, and a wonderful mother to her three children, Kenny, James and Sabrina.Ann always loved children and they loved her in return.

I would like to take this time to thank all of the people of Bridge City for their prayers and the love they showed Ann and our family.

Tina Stratton and her ladies from Curves brought dinners to Ann and Kenneth. Many days Tina and the ladies would stay and visit her. Tina would bring flowers and cards. Ann’s neighbors would bring food also when she was unable to cook. Marge Becker and Vicky Frederick would come and do foot massages for her. The beautiful flowers Marge would bring, we all got to enjoy. Wayne Wright, Ann always said he was the brother she never had, would come and sit by her bed and visit with her or call her and lift her up.

Last but not least, our church family that brought food, prayers and words of encouragement and our Pastor Randy Hammer that came out in night or early morning or daytime or whenever he was needed to pray for her. Margaret Jones, “Granny Margaret” to my daughters, brought food, sat with Ann and was just there for all of us. Brother Harrell from the United Pentecostal Church where Ann’s son James and his wife Rachel attend and their church family prayed for her. All of the other churches, here in Bridge City,

prayed for her. I know, because people that knew me that I didn’t know would stop me and say, “Our church is praying for your daughter.” Words are so inadequate to express our “heartfelt thanks” to everyone that showed such love to Ann and our family.

I’m sure there are things that was done for Ann I don’t know about. I say thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, God bless you all.

Many thanks to hospice nurses of Southeast Texas Hospice of Orange, Dr. Amsden, Brenda Honeycutt that called SETX Hospice of Tyler and reserved Ann a room, the list goes on and on. Thanks you for helping us through this time.

I would like to tell something very unique that happened the day Ann expired.

She passed away at 7:15 a.m. We sat with her all day. Her mouth was slightly open, one side slightly dropping. Mid morning, Kenny was sitting by her bed and he covered her head with the sheet. Late that evening, when a couple of nurses came in to prepare her to leave the hospital, Kenneth asked me to stay in the room with her. I was telling the nurses how Ann had given her heart to God when she was 9 years old, in a youth camp meeting in Dry Creek, La. She had lived for God and had very strong convictions and lived by them, as her class mates can attest to. One of the nurses turned the sheet back from her face. She had a startled look on her face and said, “Look, she’s smiling.” The other nurse and I ran around the bed and looked. She had the most beautiful smile on her face! I know the life Ann lived, even though she didn’t want to die, I believe she was letting us know, “It is well, all is well.” The nurses said they had never seen anything like that before.

We miss her greatly.

Kenneth, her husbandKenny, James and Sabrina, her childrenLogan, Zack, Blake, Reagan and Colin, her grandchildrenCindy Sanders, Lori Philpott, Jamie Essex, her sistersBarbara Herron Lassiter, her mother, Jim Lassiter, her step-dad